Casino giant Bally’s buys lease for Trump Links golf course in NYC
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Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Bally's Corporation, the casino giant with more than a dozen locations from Las Vegas to Atlantic City, has bought out the lease for Trump Links -- a public golf course in New York City operated by former President Donald Trump's real estate company.
"I am delighted that Trump's name will no longer deface city parkland," New York City Comptroller Brad Lander told ABC News.
The deal, expected to close on Tuesday, was also reported by other outlets including The New York Times. The terms of the deal were not immediately known.
Bally's is expected to change the name and signage of the 18-hole Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point to Bally's Links. Trump is nine years into a 20-year lease for the site, owned by the city.
The massive site, near Whitestone Bridge, would continue to be operated as a golf course. However, the gaming giant has been in the pursuit of a coveted license to operate a casino in downstate New York and the deal would likely raise the company's profile for a potential license.
Trump and New York City have been in a legal battle since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol over the fate of the lease.
"We are supportive of the transfer of the Ferry Point Golf Course to Bally's, and we are confident they will deliver a high-quality golfing experience to New Yorkers," the New York City Parks Department said in a statement to ABC News.
Others bidding for a gaming license include Caesars Entertainment, which in October announced a for a casino in Times Square with developer SL Green Realty.
Companies are vying for one of three permits approved for the downstate New York region, two of which are expected to go to existing casino operators at the Resorts World racetrack in Queens and the Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway north of the city.
The current Trump Links site is located on city-owned land near the Empire City Casino, a series of obstacles Bally's would have to overcome to build a casino at the golf course site.
